One Plus 2 is probably the most awaited flagship that everyone wants to own

2016 Flagship killer tries to slay everyone with just one weapon

First Impression :

Standing true to the legacy started by the One-Plus One, One Plus has introduced the One Plus 2, a flagship killer for 2015-2016. They did succeed last year as the OnePlus One had almost everything to go head on against a flagship device and then slay it with its price tag and amazing performance coupled with a hardware that gave everyone a run for their money. Then came 2015 where the flagships not only came prepared but have bought a lot more to the table than just killer hardware. Killing them thus required a lot more. Does the OnePlus 2 pack it?

Review

-Design & Build :

The OnePlus 2 looks similar to the One Plus one, but it has been beefed up. It has got metal circumference all over which make the 2 a bit thicker and a bit heavier than the 1. Thanks to this, the 2 feels a lot sturdier when you hold it. The gorilla glass 4 protected LTPS 1080p display dominates the 2\’s front with speaker grill, notification LED and the 5MP camera sitting on top and a rectangular fingerprint sensor at the bottom. There\’s a toggle switch on its left which feels exactly like the iPhones and cleverly integrates with the Android Lollipop profile switching. There\’s a 3.5mm jack at the top and the volume + power keys at on the right. The bottom houses an industry first USB type-C port with speaker grill and mic cut outs that absolutely look Apple inspired. The inspiration also is carried to the antennas on top and bottom. The rear houses a 13MP Camera that is positioned a bit lower than before. The camera is complimented with a dual tone flash on its top and a laser autofocus at the bottom. These are interestingly protected with a metal cutout that bulges slightly from back. The best part is replaceable Sandstone back which can be removed to expose the dual SIM tray inside. The 3300mAh battery is non-userreplaceable.

-Performance :

The OnePlus 2 features top-of-the-line specs featuring an over enthusiast Snapdragon 810 V2.1 coupled with 4GB RAM on the 64GB variant. There\’s 3GB RAM on the 16GB variant. All of this runs on Oxygen OS 2.0.1 over Android 5.1.1 (We updated the device just before penning our final thoughts). The OS feels barebones Android with just a few customizations under settings to accommodate the 2\’s special features like the finger print sensor (Up to 5 fingers), gesture controls, on-screen and off screen button customizations; and a dark settings mode with accent color of choice. The UI is snappy and developer\’s option also allows for .75x UI speed, which is a first. On the home screen, you can enable Shelf where a collage of frequently used apps and contacts with weather notifications appear in a neat manner once you swipe left. Best part is that you can also choose a custom icon pack right out of Play store that works on Oxygen OS.

The 2 performs like a flagship for sure. The 810 processor is a beast and multitasking is a breeze with the 4GB DDR4 RAM. The 2 handled everything like pro high graphic games, graphic heavy apps and almost everything else. And just like every other 810 V2.1, the phone heats up while trying these intensive apps. It heats and then heats more, as though testing your ability to withstand it. Eventually, you give up and let it cool down. It reminded me of those utter powerful gaming laptops that have immense power but are limited by temperatures. Weirdly it also heated while charging. Thermal throttling is a major issue and we hope OnePlus is listening. Speaking about charging the phone charges rather quickly and the lack of NFC or wireless charging is a big bummer especially considering that the 2 uses a USB Type-C port for charging which is not main-stream yet. Result You have to carry the cable wherever you go. Battery life is sufficient enough to take you through a day. It was poor before the update, but later it improved by quite a many folds. Call quality was great with good coverage and we had no issues on that front.

-Camera:

The camera is still 13MP and yes it still shoots 4k videos, but that said, this time the OnePlus 2 has improved on its quality. The dynamic range is awesome and the laser autofocus allows for super quick focusing. There are several modes from beauty on the front camera to clear image, HDR on the rear and the camera UI although simple is just about perfect. We would have loved a manual mode. The slow motion mode does allow for some fun short videos, but isn\’t as cool as that on the other flagships. Overall, the camera still offers great utility.

Verdict :

The OnePlus 2 is a combination of great hardware and amazing price tag, but it does not live up to its tagline of being a Flagship Killer. Flagships this year are way beyond just hardware specifications. They offer a lot of value and are a complete package. That said, the OnePlus 2 is steal at that price and we definitely recommend you to get one, if you manage to get an invite.